The Forrest City times., 1887-12-31
NEW YEAR.

One more year ls adutu lO the long roll of the centuries, which places every one of us farther from the cradle, hut nearer to the grave. Human life is one perpetual stream, pouring over the cataract of time. It finds it's beginning always in infancy, and ends, AS rule, in old age and like the little triekling rills on the summit of the mountain, it creeps along until it mites with another, and then another, and the combined waters make gur- eling stream, and they in turn unite. making a dashing torrent-and thus they increase until the bold river is formed which finds home in the deep blue sea, with it's restless waves and bounding pillows.
 But New Year affects us not only as T m lrked period of existence, but is a time of new resolutions, new purposes and new ambitions. Resolve to be better men and women this year than you were last. Is any enmity or malice lurking like sleeping viper in your hearts? Tear it away as you would the sleeping snake and let goodwill fill it's place. Have you contracted any bad habits in which your moral welfare is involvedp Resolve to crush it to extinction even. Habits of evil i'm ports are easily formed; they are hard to quit. No man ever became drunkard, a profane swearer or liber- tine at once. These evil prostitutions of mind and morals grow by degrees until we are slaves to their wicked bid ding.
 The first of the year is good time to summon all the moral forces of na- ture, and the teachings of education, and all the promptings of social friend ship and say to the destroyers of your peace of mind-"Thus far have you gone; but on this good first day of 1888, by the help of the living God. l resolve that you shall go no farther m my moral destruction. Such resolves, with firm reliance upon the help of Our Father in heaven, will place you, dear reader, upon a higher plane of moral power than you ever saw before.
 But the New Year should open all the channels of hope. Let the dead past bury it's dead, but walk thou for ward. Trim your sails of business for happy voyage on the financial sea of trials and experiments. Arouse all your mental and physical energies for d year of active and remuneratiye in- dustry. Lay all your plans on a basis of moral honesty, and, if you succeed, the happy thought that you have swindled nobody; you have oppressed nobody, and your gains are supported by sense of fair dealing and upright conduct; your conscience will be at rest. If you fail under such plausible principles no dangers of remorse will pierce your heart, no black shadows, like phantom ghosts, will haunt your memory. Honesty is the best policy, always and under all circumstances So look forward to a happy new year during the whole three hundred and sixy-ive days; but don't forget that the new year will have it's trials, as did the old. Human life is about evenly balanced in good and evil, unless we make constant efforts to have the scales preponderate on the side of truth and virtue.
 Thus we have feebly outlined the duties and expectations of the new year We could present a very sad picture of retrospection, were We so disposed, on the dark side of life. Difficulties, sorrows and afflictions Will come, but we must not anticipate them, but be always ready for them That is the true condition Of the sensible christian man or woman. 50 we will leave out misfortunes in this our New Years Address, and, wishing peace, plenty and purity on the part or all our readers, permit us to close by saying-"A Happy New Year" to each and all of the patrons of THE TIMES.